PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad (CMC) – A High Court judge in Trinidad on Friday sentenced a 48-year-old man to 18 years in prison after he was found guilty of repeatedly raping a 15-year-old boy, whom he had befriended after running away from his home more than a decade ago.

A nine-member jury had in June found Nigel Gordon Phillip guilty on two charges of buggery after the prosecution had accused him of committing the crimes during the period April to May 2015.

The court was told that the teen had left his Laventille home along the east-west corridor following an argument with his grandmother, whom he lived with, over his reluctance to join the Military-Led Academic Training (MiLAT) programme.

He went to a fast food restaurant in Port of Spain where he met the then 38-year-old Phillip, who invited the teen to his home after hearing that he ran away and had nowhere to go. His grandmother reported him missing later that evening.

The teen said that Phillip overpowered and buggered him shortly after they arrived at his house. Phillip is reported to have kept the teen at his house for almost two months and buggered him several times. The victim claimed Phillip ordered him to clean the house and wash his clothes.

He also alleged that Phillip got a job for him at a near-by supermarket and would wait for him after he finished his shift. He claimed he was required to hand over his salary when he was paid.

The teenager, who turned 16 while at Phillip’s house, eventually escaped and made a report to the police, leading to Phillip’s arrest.

In deciding on the sentence to be imposed, Justice Nalani Singh began with a starting point of 11 years, considering also the victim’s age, his vulnerability and the circumstances in which Phillip came to exercise influence and control over him.

“That created a considerable imbalance in age, maturity, resources, and control. The prisoner’s exploitation of the position which he had assumed materially increases the seriousness of each offence,” she said.

Justice Singh said that Phillip, who worked as a security officer, Spanish tutor, and football coach, had not been charged or convicted of a criminal offence before being accused by the teen. He was also in a long-term relationship and had a 16-year-old child, both of whom he is financially responsible for.

“His previous good character, employment history, and family support justify a meaningful but measured reduction,” she said, ruling that the sentences should run consecutively and not concurrently, meaning that Phillip would serve 18 years instead of nine.

“Having considered both the individuality of the offences and their factual connection, I am satisfied that an aggregate sentence of 18 years properly reflects the prisoner’s overall criminality and is not disproportionate or excessive,” she said.